Ledesma's career in music began when she joined the Lastiko band (formerly known as Ensalada band) in Bacolod while she was still a Nursing student at Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod. Ledesma and her bandmates Toto Gentica and Jet Montelibano later went to Manila to form the Music & Magic band which became pivotal for her career. She later received the lead role in the pop ballet Rama Hari by Alice Reyes. She eventually went solo with Dito Ba?, Ledesma's first hit song.
In the 1980s, Ledesma has performed during solo concerts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Araneta Coliseum, PICC and the Philippine Folk Arts Theater.[1]
In 1982, Ledesma launched an all-Filipino concert, Ako ay Pilipino (I am a Filipino) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines that featured a repertoire of ethnic sounds, classic kundimans and beautiful pop songs, tapping into the rich node of indigenous art and contemporary pop music to produce alternative approaches to songs. Her show eventually became a television special followed by two albums. This was immediately followed by another production at the CCP, Inspired Madness in 1983, which was created in collaboration with Philippine film director Peque Gallaga and musical director Ryan Cayabyab.
During the political ambience of the 1980s, Ledesma paid tribute to Ninoy Aquino at the end of one of her shows at the CCP by singing her a cappella rendition of Impossible Dream and You'll Never Walk Alone (Hindi Ka Nagiisa). From 1984 to 1986, Ledesma joined the Apo Hiking Society in Ang Pinoy Nga Naman (1, 2, and 3) at the Folk Arts Theater.
In March 1989, Kuh Ledesma was chosen as the first Philippine singer to be the recipient of the Salem Music Awards after competing against other top singers from Asia at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In the 1990s, Ledesma had a series of concerts with foreign artists Noel Pointer, Jack Jones, Kenny Rankin, The Platters and Michel Legrand followed by other concerts with popular Philippine song artists such as Regine Velasquez (U.S. tour, 1999), Pops Fernandez and Jaya (Power of Two, 1999). After Ledesma's four-night concert with the jazz violinist, Noel Pointer, she released the album, The Voice, The Violin. Ledesma was also one of the judges in the coronation night of the Miss Universe 1991. In February 1994, Ledesma had the Two of Hearts concert with balladeer Jack Jones. During 1995's Valentine's season, she performed with Kenny Rankin. Ledesma started the new millennium in a Valentine show with The Platters. In 2002, Ledesma had Valentine presentation with Michel Legrand.
Ledesma has her own production company Headline Concepts and built concert venues such as the Music Museum (a combined theater-restaurant built in 1988 at Greenhills, Manila) and the Republic of Malate. The Republic of Malate is a facility located along Mabini Street in Manila, which houses a restaurant, a bar, a watering hole, a game room, a tobacco area a dance club and a theater. However, The Republic of Malate was destroyed by a fire in November 2001. Ledesma has plans of rebuilding the facility.
Kuh Ledesma had a regular monthly television special called Akuhstic Café which is a musical travelogue that presented viewers the urban night life of Metro Manila by visiting clubs, lounges and concerts. Akuhstic Café was a grand finalist in the Asian Television Awards in Singapore for best musical program.
In April 1997, Ledesma became the featured artist of the ‘’Muling Aawit ang Pasig’’, a benefit concert of former Philippine First Lady Ming Ramos for the restoration of the Pasig River.
In 1998, the centennial year of Philippine Independence, after producing a Valentine concert at Fort Santiago, Manila, Ledesma was commissioned by the National Centennial Commission to stage a three-night centennial concert of the year, Lahi…Kami ang Pilipino which was held the Expo Center at the former Clark Airforce Base.
Ledesma also owns Bravo Records, a music recording studio. Ledesma is known for building careers of new talented singers.
Ledesma celebrated her 25th year in the music industry by holding a series of shows at the Captain's Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Manila (Kuh Ledesma Presents). Ledesma has a goal of publishing a book of photographs to chronicle her career.
Kuh Ledesma is also a member of the Artista Para Sa Pagbabago (Artists for Change), an organization of artists, environmentalists and businessmen. She was also the president of the Restaurant Owners Association of Malate.
During the 2001 Philippine national elections, Ledesma was chosen by the PINATUBO (Pinag-isang Lakas Tungo sa Pagbabago) Party as a first nominee for congress. The PINATUBO Party is a far-right party in the Philippines.
One More Try
Kuh Ledesma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walk away or give it one more try
What a waste to let our dreams just fly
And as the days go by
We'll always wonder why.
Are we glad to find one day we're free
Is this what we really want to be
It really is quite tough
When love is not enough.
Tell me why did we find each other
Only to part ways in the end
Tell me how we learned to love each other
And tell me why two people have to change.
Was it pride that made us drift away
Hurting words we should not even say
Hold my hand and look straight in my eyes
If we can't say goodbye
Then we're worth one more try.
The lyrics of Kuh Ledesma's song One More Try detail the internal struggle of two individuals in a romantic relationship, who are faced with the decision to either end their relationship or try to work things out. The first stanza asks the question "should we stay or should we say goodbye", indicating that the couple is at a crossroads in their relationship. They are faced with the decision to either walk away or give it one more try. The lyrics suggest that the couple has dreams and aspirations together that they will not achieve if they end their relationship. The line "what a waste to let our dreams just fly" emphasizes this idea.
The second stanza continues the internal debate, questioning whether they are truly happy to be free of one another. The line "brand new lives, we need to have so much" implies that starting over without each other will not be easy, but necessary. However, the line "when love is not enough" suggests that love alone is not enough to sustain a relationship. The chorus then asks why the couple found each other in the first place, only to end up parting ways. The lyricist wonders why two people who learned to love each other have to change.
The final stanza acknowledges the presence of difficulties in relationships, such as pride and hurtful words, but implores the partner to hold their hand and consider giving the relationship one more try. The line "if we can't say goodbye, then we're worth one more try" suggests that even though the couple is at a difficult point in their relationship, they should consider holding on one more time.
Overall, the lyrics of One More Try convey a universal theme of the struggle to maintain a relationship in the face of difficulties and the hope for a second chance.
Line by Line Meaning
Should we stay or should we say goodbye
We are unsure if we should continue with this relationship or end it.
Walk away or give it one more try
We are at a crossroads and must decide whether to give the relationship another chance or let it go.
What a waste to let our dreams just fly
It would be a shame to let go of our shared aspirations for the future.
And as the days go by
The passage of time will only make us more uncertain about our decision.
We'll always wonder why.
We will forever question why things did not work out between us.
Are we glad to find one day we're free
Are we relieved that the relationship has ended?
Is this what we really want to be
Do we truly desire to be without each other?
Brand new lives, we need to have so much
We have so much yet to experience in our lives.
It really is quite tough
It is difficult to move on from what we shared.
When love is not enough.
Sometimes love alone cannot sustain a relationship.
Tell me why did we find each other
What was the purpose of our meeting and subsequent relationship?
Only to part ways in the end
Why did our relationship ultimately come to an end?
Tell me how we learned to love each other
What brought us together and allowed our love to grow?
And tell me why two people have to change.
Why must people change and grow apart, even when they love each other?
Was it pride that made us drift away
Did our individual pride push us apart?
Hurting words we should not even say
We spoke words that we knew were hurtful and should not have been uttered.
Hold my hand and look straight in my eyes
Let us connect physically and emotionally to have an honest conversation.
If we can't say goodbye
If we find it too hard to let go of each other,
Then we're worth one more try.
Then we owe it to ourselves to give the relationship another chance.
Contributed by Austin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
EDITA PALAC CAGULADA
I like kuh ledesma so much because the voice it's clear and she pronouns well the way she sings. I AM HER LONG FANS UNTIL NOW♥️♥️♥️
Tzarina Elizabeth Surigao
Awesome voice, what a lovely voice that you want to keep on hearing her songs, so talented.
Jazz Mee Phi
Miss Kuh Ledesma sings like Barbra Streisand..breathless.. I like her style and her songs as well.
Jet Tuscano
Jazz Mee Phi l9L?00)
Jazz Mee Phi
@Jet Tuscano ???
J Sanvictores
GTV Testcard With Music Barangay LS 97.1 (DWLS-FM)
ALAN JAYSON CUAYCONG
Hi this is Kuya Jayson - assassin’s creed is my favourite game Sa PS4 🪪👏
Cynthia Coprada
love her songs and her style, makes me relax and fills my day with love
alexis collins
Most beautiful n meaningful song. I cry each time i listen to it. Thanks to writer composer n the singer to give us all such a wonderful touching song.
Mirah Sia
i love this song the voice so clear the high notes and low notes so great...